Learn about this topic in these articles:

use in weaponry

...during the period 1460–80 with the development of mechanisms that applied match to hand-portable weapons. German gunsmiths apparently led the way. The first step was a simple S-shaped “
trigger,” called a serpentine, fastened to the side of a hand cannon’s stock. The serpentine was pivoted in the middle and had a set of adjustable jaws, or dogs, on the upper end that held the...